Command of an Octurion was by royal appointment only, and it almost always fell to a popular noble of the Centaurum who bucked for the honour of the highest post in active combat service. Aboard the
Turhan
, Minister Provenza stood imperiously, unmoving, as he watched his crew go about their duties. The bridge structure rose from the rear hull of the battleship like a massive office block, with the bridge itself occupying the entire top level. Metres of thick Corrilium armour were layered above their heads for protection, an expensive extravagance for a warship but a mere fitting on a vessel such as this. The bridge was a lavish affair, fit for the Emperor it had once been intended to carry on state visits to colony worlds. At its rear a tall throne was mounted, though none but the Emperor himself was permitted to approach it without royal decree. Offices to its side permitted closed sessions with ambassadors and military officials or a moment of solitude for the monarch. The walls and consoles were decked in acres of rich cream-coloured hide, while soft and expensive carpets lined the floor.
Though such luxury was a far cry from the military ships of other races, few visitors could fail to sense the latent power while standing on the bridge of the
Turhan
or its sister ship, the
Cartagia
. The massed ranks of display consoles and control stations, all manned by some of the finest officers in the Centauri fleet, were obviously state of the art, while the front viewport looked down at the main hull of the ship, extending well over a mile out into space. Huge turrets, dozens of metres across, studded the purple hull, hinting at the purpose for which the Octurion had been designed. Though officially classed as a royal transport, the Octurion could defend itself against entire fleets.
Waiting patiently, Minister Provenza ticked off the minutes as they sailed through hyperspace to the fleet’s rendezvous point. The Emperor himself gave the order not to just turn away invading fleets, but utterly crush them. No doubt was to be left in any part of the galaxy that invading the Republic resulted in the severest response. Never again would the Centauri suffer the humiliation of seeing their homeworld bombed into ruin.
To the Minister’s memory, no time in Centauri history saw this much military might gathered in one place. Two Octurions and six escorting battlecruisers made a fearsome display, but they had been deemed insufficient for the mission’s objectives of total annihilation. After leaving the staging post at Gorash, they were to join with a secondary fleet of support ships, ranging from cruisers to gunships. Waiting in hyperspace they would then keep station, listening for any sign of an Earth fleet entering nearby territory.
‘Minister?’ An aide reporting from the control station interrupted Provenza’s thoughts of final and total victory. He raised his chin in acknowledgement.
‘We have a report from our scout at Beta III. An Earth fleet has appeared and blockaded the system. What are your orders?’
‘Signal the supporting fleet,’ he answered. ‘They are to head to Beta III immediately. Time their arrival to coincide with ours. We will make the jump into realspace at the far edge of the system. Give the humans time to see what they are up against.’
As you wish, Minister.’ The aide bowed and backed away.
Provenza smiled to himself. He had been appointed command of the
Turhan
six months ago but had yet to see its guns fired in anger. With a guaranteed victory like this, he would get his wish and be lauded by the Emperor himself. Nothing less than a position in the Royal Court would be his prize.
July 9th 2263, Tuzanor, Minbar
Accept and decode,’ said Sheridan. He waited with some anxiety for the incoming communication and tapped his fingers on his desk while the security protocols were identified and translated. Seconds later the figure of a man with a boyish face greeted him, though the Anla’Shok robes promised a hidden strength beyond any lack of years.
‘Ranger Sosa,’ Sheridan said. ‘What do you have for us?’
‘It has been confirmed, Mr. President,’ said the Ranger. ‘The Centauri have sent several fleets to the border worlds invaded by the Earth Alliance. However, the largest and fastest moving is headed towards Beta III, as expected. The Earth fleet there is led by an Admiral Ward.’
Sheridan frowned. ‘I don’t know him. What is his strength?’
A reinforced task force. He has access to supporting fleets if need be, though they are at least an hour or two away.’
And the Centauri?’
‘They are aiming to wipe out the Earth fleet. The reports of the
Turhan
and
Cartagia
being launched are confirmed--they are leading the Centauri fleet. We have counted more than thirty other vessels in the area, all converging on Beta III from hyperspace.’
‘I see.’ Sheridan thought furiously. He retained certain sympathies to his old colleagues in EarthForce and was reluctant to go down a path that would see so many killed in battle. On the other hand, he had greater responsibilities to the Interstellar Alliance and the billions of sentients that lived under its protection. He knew what action had to be taken but hesitated. Committing the White Star fleet was a risky move, as it was unlikely to sway the Centauri when they had a force that powerful.
‘Listen to me very carefully,’ he said. ‘This is important. I am putting you at the head of the entire White Star fleet, every craft that can reach your position in time. By our calculations, you will have sixteen ships behind you. Take them to Beta III, put yourself between the Centauri and Earth fleets and do everything you can to stop the shooting. You know what is at stake.’
‘Yes, sir. Mr. President, what are our orders if battle starts? The Earth fleet is not likely to survive unless we intervene.’
Sheridan took a deep breath. ‘I know. And as soon as the Earth ambassador here realises what is going on, he is going to raise merry hell in the Council--and there will be more than a few governments agreeing him, if the rumours of fleets moving through Narn space towards the Republic turn out to be true. It feels like President Luchenko is trying to play off Alliance members to her own ends.’ He hesitated, not liking the dark place of politics and machinations that he was headed towards. ‘Sosa, I cannot take unilateral action against the Centauri without damaging everything this Alliance stands for. I am going to be consulting Council members to reach a combined resolution on this so, until you hear from me with definite orders, you are to act on your own initiative. Do you understand?’
‘Yes, sir, I believe I do.’
‘Good. However, we must do everything we can to stop a full-scale war. The Centauri cannot win against a united Interstellar Alliance force, but they do have rights to their own sovereignty, whether they are members or not. And an invasion of Republic space is going to cost our fleets more than they might think, despite the bragging of the Narn and Drazi.’
‘We’ll do our part, sir. If there is a way to stop the Earth Alliance and Centauri from blasting each other across Beta III, we’ll find it.’
‘I hope you do, Sosa. Sheridan out.’
As the screen went dark, Sheridan became aware of another presence entering the room, comforting in its familiarity.
‘This is where it ends,’ he said bleakly.
‘There is still time,’ a soft and serene female voice said. ‘Come, we have work to do in the Council.’
July 9th 2263, The EAS Heracles, Beta III
‘Admiral, incoming transmission from the
Claros
,’ reported an ensign across the low background hum and chatter of the
Heracles’
bridge. ‘Centauri ships, on their way here.’
Ward snapped around on his heels. ‘How long?’
‘ETA less than forty minutes. They have registered thirty-six hyperspace silhouettes, mostly cruiser masses.’
‘Thirty-six?’ Ward could not help asking, wanting to make sure he had heard his officer correctly.
‘Yes, sir. They have had trouble identifying two. One moment, sir, awaiting the data stream.’ The ensign leaned closer to his station as he began to interpret the information transmitted by the scout ship. ‘Sir! They are massive!’
‘Do you have identification?’ Ward asked, puzzled and concerned.
‘Not definite, sir. They are massing several times larger than their battlecruisers.’ The ensign looked up at his commanding officer. ‘Sir, could they be Octurion?’
Ward appeared thoughtful before answering. ‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, ensign.’
‘No, sir.’
‘Is Captain Musaki still in position?’ Ward asked. The level of forces that the Centauri appeared to be committing worried him. Even without the possibility of two of their largest battleships, they had amassed a response that outnumbered his forces three to one. While most of their ships would be lighter than any of his frontline vessels, he knew that they would be bringing enough heavies to provide a significant advantage. They had possibly spooked their hyperspace silhouettes, as they had reacted with astonishing speed, but that was not a risk worth taking. Several battle groups and squadrons had been held back in hyperspace to reinforce the EarthForce ships jumping into Centauri territory as needed, and Ward needed as many ships as could be mustered before the enemy fleet arrived.
‘Yes, sir. ETA sixty-seven minutes if we give him the go now.’
‘Do so. Also contact the battle groups
Ajax
,
Achilles
and
Nelson
. Tell them to make full burn to get here.’ He guessed the other ships would not arrive before conflict started, but if he could hold out against an initial assault, he would be able to summon enough ships to wipe out any enemy. ‘Do you have a precise fix on the Centauri’s course yet?’
The ensign did not answer straight away as he consulted his screen and made calculations. ‘Difficult, sir. It looks like they are on a slight tangent to our position. They won’t be dropping in on top of us.’
Thank heavens for small mercies, Ward thought. The Centauri in charge of the incoming fleet obviously did not know the full extent of the Earth fleet and was not taking chances. Then again, with a fleet as large as his, perhaps chances were not necessary.
‘Recall the
Claros
and
Didyma
,’ Ward ordered. ‘They have done their job. Instruct their captains to maintain distance from any direct confrontation. They will know what to do when the fireworks start.’
The bridge clock ticked away the long minutes as they awaited the arrival of the Centauri. Ward felt envious of his crew who each had their own duties to keep them occupied. Whether they were controlling the patrol patterns of Starfuries in orbit, monitoring the power relays and capacitors of the Heracles or doing any one of the million tasks required to keep a warship of this size flying, they were all active. For Ward’s part, much of his job had already been done, organising the fleet, ensuring the readiness of each section of the ship and making preparations for battle. An officer occasionally approached him with a status check or query but, for the main, he was left to his own racing and nervous thoughts.
He recalled someone saying that military service was hours of boredom punctuated with moments of sheer terror and, having served EarthForce for most of his adult life, it was a sentiment he could appreciate. However, the worst part was the waiting, he always found. The moments where all plans had been laid and all eventualities covered. When the enemy approached and all that could be done was wait. It left a cold, hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach.
The
Claros
and
Didyma
jumped in system several minutes ahead of the Centauri, reporting that the incoming fleet looked to be heading towards the edge of the system. It was an unusual move, Ward considered, but it matched what he had heard of the Centauri’s ruthless efficiency. They were obviously planning to deploy far from any possibility of interference, gauge their opposition and then sweep through the system, annihilating anything they came across. Start at one side and then continue forwards until there was nothing left to fight. No initiative required on the part of your sub-ordinates and time-consuming, but the Centauri were in their own territory and could afford to spend time making sure they had successfully repulsed Earth’s invasion.
‘Contact!’ called his tactical officer. ‘Jump points forming beyond the sixth planet.’
Ward had given no orders for his fleet to break orbit until the Centauri appeared. He was mindful of the possibility that the Centauri could change course in hyperspace at the last instant, jumping in close to his ships to start a brawl that would put him on the defensive immediately. He might have contemplated this tactic himself in their place, and it was foolish to treat an enemy as stupid--’always consider them at least as smart as you are’ was the mantra in EarthForce. Nevertheless, the Centauri leading the fleet seemed content to fight a battle with no surprises. At least, not initially.
‘What do we have?’ he asked.
A real mix, sir. Gunships to battleships. They are already at full thrust towards us. ETA on their forward screen, ninety-two minutes. The big guns, seventeen minutes behind them. Running analysis sweeps of attackers . . . wow!’
The breach of bridge protocol made Ward look up in surprise.
‘Sorry, sir,’ said the tactical officer. ‘We just scanned the two Octurions . . .’
‘Punch it through to my office,’ said Ward, walking to the rear of the bridge to review his enemy privately. Sitting down in front of his main console, he selected the feed from the tactical station and reviewed the first comprehensive data an Earth vessel had received on the Centauri’s largest warships.
It made for impressive reading. Reactor output was measured at six times greater than his command destroyers already uprated systems, and he had no doubt it would increase once battle started. A full defensive grid, capacity for two full squadrons of fighters, and an extensive communications suite. The armour was thick enough to shrug off all but the heaviest weapons Ward had at his disposal, and it looked as if it could readily trade fire with several ships simultaneously. As well as the Centauri’s renowned battle lasers, the hull was studded with particle array batteries and six huge turrets sat on the top deck, each containing several matter cannon, smaller versions of the mass drivers the Centauri had used to bombard the Narn homeworld years before.